Conradt, Elisabeth de Neuf, 1980-
2012-02-03T02:10:46Z
2012-02-03T02:10:46Z
2011-06
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11926
xvi, 132 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
The Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis and the related Biological Sensitivity to Context theory contend that individuals with "susceptible" traits reap the benefits of positive rearing environments and exhibit better outcomes compared to their less susceptible peers. Studies have largely focused on physiological reactivity as an index of this susceptibility in children and adults, and most have measured physiology by grand mean changes from baseline to a stressor. The goal of this dissertation was to examine baseline Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA stress reactivity by taking advantage of analytical techniques modeling growth over time, as well as individual differences in this growth-using latent Growth Modeling (LGM) and Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM), respectively.
Maternal sensitivity at 5 months and the quality of the attachment environment at 17 months were used as indicators of environmental conditions that might interact with infant susceptibility. Problem behavior and social competence were assessed at 17 months as measures of child well-being. Consistent with the theory of differential susceptibility, there were no significant differences in problem behavior or social competence among infants with low baseline RSA, but infants with high baseline RSA exhibited the lowest levels of problem behavior if reared in an environment that fostered security and more competence if their mothers exhibited greater sensitivity. Contrary to hypotheses, LGM analyses revealed that withdrawal of infant RSA appeared to buffer the impact of being reared in an environment that fostered disorganization, as infants with disorganized attachment histories exhibited the lowest number of problem behaviors. Two distinct groups of children were identified by GMM analyses: a class of infants with low RSA that decreased across the still-face episode, and a class of infants with high RSA that increased across this episode. Class by maternal sensitivity interactions were significantly predictive of social competence, with the high increasing class emerging as the group most susceptible to environmental influences, consistent with the differential susceptibility hypothesis. This dissertation adds importantly to both the sharpening and extension of theories of differential susceptibility.
Committee in charge: Jennifer Ablow, Chairperson, Psychology;
Philip Fisher, Member, Psychology;
Jeffrey Measelle, Member, Psychology;
Jane Squires, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Developmental psychology
Psychology
Autonomic functioning
Sinus arrhythmia
Infants
Differential Susceptibility to Rearing Influences: The Role of Infant Autonomic Functioning
Role of Infant Autonomic Functioning
Thesis

Murakami, Jessica L., 1980-
2012-03-28T16:43:00Z
2012-03-28T16:43:00Z
2011-09
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12097
xvii, 93 p. : ill. (some col.)
Since Rosenzweig's "Dodo Bird Verdict" in 1936, the "common" versus "specific" factors debate has continued to polarize the field of psychotherapy. Treatment expectancy is an important but often overlooked common factor. The current study investigated the role of treatment expectancy in the Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). Four-hundred three adolescents ( M age =14.62, SD =1.56) filled out the Treatment Expectancy for Adolescents (TEA) measure prior to treatment randomization to one of four treatments: fluoxetine (FLX), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), and placebo (PBO). Adolescents randomized to CBT or COMB also filled out the CBT Rationale Acceptance and Expectation for Improvement (C-RAEI) form during their second session of CBT.
Before finding out their treatment assignments, adolescents endorsed higher treatment expectancies for COMB than CBT and medication only. Family income levels below $75,000 and higher levels of depression severity, hopelessness, and suicidality were associated with lower expectations for improvement with CBT. The presence of a comorbid anxiety disorder diagnosis was associated with lower expectations for medication without CBT. Separate random coefficients and logistic regression models identified treatment expectancy as a predictor of outcome for three primary outcome measures in TADS, irrespective of treatment assignment. Severity of depression moderated this relationship; mild to moderately depressed adolescents appeared to be more sensitive to the effects of treatment expectancy than marked to severely depressed adolescents. The opposite results were found for the self-rated outcome measure in TADS based on the C-RAIE. For marked to severely depressed adolescents assigned to CBT or COMB, acceptance of treatment rationale and expectancy for improvement were associated with treatment response.
These results suggest that treatment expectancy is an important common factor of treatment for mild to moderately depressed adolescents prior to treatment initiation, although it may be especially important for initially skeptical, marked to severely depressed adolescents to "buy in" to treatment after treatment initiation. Treatment effects were still found after controlling for the effects of treatment expectancy on outcome. It seems that both the "common" factor of treatment expectancy and the "specific" factor of treatment assignment contributed to outcome in TADS.
Committee in charge: Anne D. Simons, Chair;
Gordon Nagayama Hall, Member;
Holly Arrow, Member;
Jeffrey Todahl, Outside member
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Developmental psychology
Clinical psychology
Psychology
Adolescents
Depression, Mental -- Treatment
Expectancy
Teenagers -- Mental health services
The “Ignored Common Factor”: The Role of Expectancy in the Treatment of Adolescent Depression
Role of Expectancy in the Treatment of Adolescent Depression
Thesis

McCollough, Andrew Willis, 1974-
2011-09-09T01:11:21Z
2011-09-09T01:11:21Z
2011-06
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11555
xiii, 143 p. : ill. (some col.)
The cognitive ability to group information into chunks is a well known phenomenon, however, the effects of chunking on visual representations is not well understood. Here we investigate the effects of visual chunking using Gestalt grouping principles in two tasks: visual working memory change detection and multiple object tracking. Though both these tasks have been used to study cognitive functions in the past, including object-based attention, attentional control and working memory capacity, the effect of grouping on mental representations in these tasks has not been well characterized. That is, while researches have measured effects of grouping on behavioral output in similar tasks, there are few studies of the effects of grouping on neurophysiological indices of object representations. Indeed, these current studies are the first to use event-related potentials (ERPs) to elucidate the effect of grouping on active mental representations of visual stimuli. In the visual working memory task, observers remembered either the color or orientation of pacman stimuli across a delay. We manipulated the collinearity of these objects, whether or not they formed a Kanizsa triangle figure, and measured the behavioral and electrophysiological effects. In the multiple object tracking task, a subset of identical stimuli were briefly cued as targets and then their motion was tracked by participants. We manipulated whether and which Gestalt heuristics were used to bind targets together during their motion and measured the effects on behavior and electrophysiology. In both tasks we compared the grouped to ungrouped conditions. We found that across experiments and tasks behavioral performance was enhanced in grouping conditions compared to ungrouped conditions. Furthermore, the waveforms evoked by grouped stimuli were reduced compared to waveforms produced in response to locally identical but ungrouped stimuli. These data suggest that the mental representation of visual objects may be reshaped moment-by-moment by grouping cues or task demand, giving rise to a flexible, active and dynamic yet parsimonious representation of the visual world.
Committee in charge: Edward K. Vogel, Chair;
Edward Awh, Member;
Ulrich Mayr, Member;
Paul van Donkelaar, Outside Member
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
Psychology
Neurosciences
Attention
Electrophysiology
ERP
Gestalt
Kanizsa
Visual Working Memory
The Influence of Gestalt Grouping Principles on Active Visual Representations: Neurophysiological Evidence
Thesis

Hulette, Annmarie Cholankeril
2012-02-04T00:40:22Z
2012-02-04T00:40:22Z
2011-06
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11929
xvii, 103 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
The purpose of this study was to investigate intergenerational relationships between trauma, dissociation, and emotion. Short and long term consequences of betrayal trauma on cognitive and emotion coping strategies in a sample of 67 mother-child dyads were explored. Group comparison, correlation, and regression strategies were used to examine relationships between the following variables: maternal and child trauma histories, maternal and child dissociation, maternal alexithymia, and child emotion coping strategies in response to distressful events.
Experiences of high betrayal trauma were found to be related to higher levels of dissociation in both children and mothers. Furthermore, mothers who experienced high betrayal trauma in childhood and were subsequently interpersonally revictimized in adulthood were shown to have higher levels of dissociation than a group of mothers who had experienced high betrayal trauma in childhood but were not revictimized in adulthood. This may indicate that dissociation from a history of childhood betrayal trauma involves a persistent unawareness of future threats in the environment. Additional evidence consistent with this hypothesis was found. Maternal revictimization status was related to child interpersonal trauma history, suggesting that a dissociative unawareness for threats may extend to children. More generally, an association was found between maternal interpersonal trauma history and child interpersonal trauma history.
Maternal dissociation was also predictive of maternal alexithymia. This relationship was examined because mothers high in alexithymia were hypothesized to display deficits in emotion socialization that could put their children at greater risk for dissociation. Evidence consistent with a relationship between maternal alexithymia and child dissociation was found. Furthermore, a significant association between maternal alexithymia level and child emotion coping strategy was revealed. Children with highly alexithymic mothers displayed higher levels of passive emotion coping strategies on a task assessing their reactions to a distressful parent-child event.
This study provides evidence that the experience of parental trauma has intergenerational effects on children. It is an important first step towards longitudinal studies that can provide additional clarification of the nature of the relationships between these variables, as well as parent-child intervention studies that may help to prevent child trauma exposure and reduce symptomatology.
Committee in charge: Jennifer Freyd, Chairperson, Psychology;
Jennifer Ablow, Member, Psychology;
Philip Fisher, Member, Psychology;
Debra Eisert, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Clinical psychology
Psychology
Trauma
Emotion
Alexithymia
Psychic trauma
Dissociation (Psychology)
Intergenerational Relationships between Trauma, Dissociation, and Emotion
Thesis

Ester, Edward F.
2012-03-28T23:48:10Z
2012-03-28T23:48:10Z
2011-12
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12106
xii, 78 p. : ill. (some col.)
Working memory (WM) enables the storage of information in a state that can be rapidly accessed and updated. This system is a core component of higher cognitive function - individual differences in WM ability are strongly predictive of general intelligence (IQ) and scholastic achievement (e.g., SAT scores), and WM ability is compromised in many psychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia) and neurological (e.g., Parkinson's) disorders. Thus, there is a strong motivation to understand the basic properties of this system. Recent studies suggest that WM ability is determined by two independent factors: the number of items an individual can store and the precision with which representations can be maintained. Significant progress has been made in developing neural measures that are sensitive to the number of items stored in WM. For example, electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that activity in posterior parietal cortex is directly modulated by the number of items stored in WM and reaches a plateau at the same set size where individual memory capacity is exceeded. However, comparably little is known regarding the neural mechanisms that enable the storage of high-fidelity information in WM. This dissertation describes two experiments that evaluate so-called sensory-recruitment models of WM, where the storage of highfidelity information in WM is mediated by sustained activity in sensory cortices that encode memoranda. In Chapter II, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and multivoxel pattern analysis were used to demonstrate that sustained patterns of activiation observed in striate cortex discriminate specific feature attribute(s) (e.g., orientation) that an observer is holding in WM. In Chapter III, I show that these patterns of activation can be observed in regions of visual cortex that are not retinotopically mapped to the spatial location of a remembered stimulus and suggest that this spatially global recruitment of visual cortex enhances memory precision by facilitating robust population coding of the stored information. Together, these results provide strong support for so-called sensory recruitment models of WM, where the storage of fine visual details is mediated by sustained activity in sensory cortices that encode information.
This dissertation includes previously published and co-authored material.
Committee in charge: Edward Awh, Chairperson and Advisor;
Edward Vogel, Member;
Nash Unsworth, Member;
Terry Takahashi, Outside Member
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Neurosciences
Cognitive psychology
Psychology
Biological sciences
Mnemonic precision
Working memory
Sensory recruitment
Neural Mechanisms of Mnemonic Precision
Thesis

Foynes, Melissa Ming, 1982-
2011-05-06T22:53:13Z
2011-05-06T22:53:13Z
2010-09
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11153
xvi, 159 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
This dissertation involves two studies investigating the disclosure of life experiences in the context of real relationships in real time. Study 1 included 126 university students and community members. Pairs of participants who had known each other for at least three months were eligible. After participants completed a set of self- report measures, one member of the pair was randomly selected to disclose an experience he/she had not previously disclosed to the other member of the pair. A final set of self- report measures was then completed by each participant. The interaction was videotaped for coding and analyses. Using the coders' and disclosers' ratings of listeners' behaviors, we examined the impact of both verbal and nonverbal responses to disclosure and identified two modifiable behaviors (interruptions and posture) that contributed to conveying support. Results indicated that leaning backward was associated with more negative responses to disclosure and moderate levels of interruption were associated with more supportive responses to disclosure. Study 2 involved similar recruitment procedures to Study 1 and included 220 university students and community members. Pairs of participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control condition and researchers were blind to condition. After completing a series of self-report questionnaires, the person randomly assigned to the discloser role was asked to describe an experience of mistreatment not previously disclosed to the other participant. This interaction was videotaped. Following this, participants completed post-disclosure questionnaires Then, psychoeducational materials regarding either healthy lifestyle improvements (control condition) or supportive listening techniques (experimental condition) were distributed, followed by a quiz on these materials. A second experience of mistreatment was disclosed and a final set of post-disclosure questionnaires was completed. Results indicated that the psychoeducational materials were effective in enhancing supportive responses to disclosure such that listeners in the experimental condition demonstrated significantly fewer unsupportive behaviors than listeners in the control condition. Listeners who started with high levels of unsupportive behaviors benefitted the most from the psychoeducational materials. Although there are several limitations of these studies and additional research with more diverse samples is needed, the findings represent an important preliminary step in research.
Committee in charge: Jennifer Freyd, Chairperson, Psychology;
Gordon Hall, Member, Psychology;
Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology;
Jeff Todahl, Outside Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2010;
Disclosure
Trauma
Responses to disclosure
Psychoeducation
Stressful life experiences
Social support
Social psychology
Psychology
Clinical psychology
An observational and experimental examination of responses to the disclosure of stressful life experiences in real time
Thesis

Schumacher, William Miller
2012-04-19T00:40:43Z
2012-04-19T00:40:43Z
2011-12
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12167
xi, 56 p. : ill. (some col.)
To investigate resilience against combat stress, 175 interviews from the Veterans' History Project were coded using the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory and analyzed using the Linguistic Inventory and Word Count. Contrary to hypotheses, higher levels of social support did not predict psychological outcomes, nor did social support differ between wars. Low variance in the social support measure likely contributed to the null results. The amount of combat experiences the veteran discussed did significantly predict psychological outcomes, replicating previous findings. This indicates that the LIWC measures are good indicators of psychological outcome.
Committee in charge: Holly Arrow, Chairperson;
Jennifer Freyd, Member;
Phil Fisher, Member
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, M.S., 2011;
rights_reserved
Clinical psychology
Psychology
Combat stress
Linguistic Inventory and Word Count
Social support
Veterans -- Mental health
Resilience Among Veterans: An Archival Study
Thesis

Oppenheimer, Julia Erica, 1979-
2012-02-06T17:39:31Z
2012-02-06T17:39:31Z
2011-06
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11930
xix, 176 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Self-efficacy, a proposed vulnerability for anxiety, is thought to be rooted in repeated experiences during children's early years. Few studies have directly examined how these beliefs and behavior patterns are manifested in early childhood despite the importance of infancy and toddlerhood as times of major cognitive, behavioral, and regulatory developments that may play a role in the etiology of psychopathology. Thus a primary goal of this dissertation was describing early self-efficacy, measured as a child's behavioral responses and coping capacity during an impossible task. Factor analyses identified a latent self-efficacy construct based on children's observed task persistence, strategies used during the task, and flexible use of strategies. Through a growth model analytic framework this construct was used to examine individual differences in toddler self-efficacy. A linear growth model demonstrated excellent fit and decreasing self-efficacy over time, as well as significant variability in toddlers' initial responses and behavioral trajectories across an impossible task.
An additional aim of this dissertation was to identify important predictors and concomitants of toddler self-efficacy at 17 months. Using a structural equation model, paths between self-efficacy and maternal psychopathology, maternal behavior, infant temperament and social-emotional correlates were examined. Analysis of theorized predictors revealed greater maternal anxiety at 17 months was predictive of lower self-efficacy and increased social-emotional problems. Greater maternal acceptance, responsiveness, and non-intrusiveness during infancy were associated with greater self-efficacy and lower symptoms at 17 months, demonstrating a longitudinal impact of maternal behavior a year later. However, early self-efficacy demonstrated limited associations with toddlers, social-emotional problems. As such, maternal psychopathology and maternal sensitivity appeared to be important predictors of children's elevated symptoms and self-efficacy even at this early age despite nominal direct associations between children's self-efficacy and symptomatology.
Results demonstrated a multi-faceted construct of self-efficacy in toddlers, encompassing both persistence and coping abilities. This early self-efficacy measurement expanded definitions of efficacy and measured self-efficacy in a younger population than has previously been studied. Early variations in self-efficacy linked to maternal sensitivity during infancy and maternal anxiety indicate the importance of longitudinal associations between risk factors and toddler outcomes for understanding self-efficacy. Clinical implications for assessment and prevention are considered.
Committee in charge: Jeffrey Measelle, Chairperson, Psychology;
Jennifer Ablow, Member, Psychology;
Dare Baldwin, Member, Psychology;
Jane Squires, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Developmental psychology
Clinical psychology
Psychology
Self-efficacy
Toddlers
Anxiety in children
Understanding Early Vulnerabilities for Anxiety: Predictors of Self-Efficacy in Toddlers
Thesis

Lewis, Cara C., 1981-
2012-02-03T23:53:58Z
2012-02-03T23:53:58Z
2011-06
http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11928
xvi, 90 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Empirical support for the efficacy of CBT in treating depression suggests that the majority of clients will respond to this intervention. However, the more nuanced, and clinically relevant, question of "Which clients will respond to CBT for depression?" has been difficult to answer. Research efforts have focused on two different approaches to this question. One approach focuses on trajectories of symptom change within the first weeks of treatment to identify clients who are most likely to achieve response. A second approach looks to pretreatment client variables such as hopelessness and dysfunctional attitudes to identify clients who are more likely to respond. The current study is the first to simultaneously compare these two approaches to the prediction of treatment outcome. The sample consists of 222 clients (65.32% female, 92.79% Caucasian), ages 18 through 64 (M =27.85, SD = 11.28), receiving treatment for mood and anxiety disorders (59% met criteria for comorhid disorders) in a CBT oriented psychology training clinic. Results suggest that the rate of change in depressive symptoms over the first five treatment sessions significantly and consistently predicted outcome over and above the majority of pretreatment variables, except for precontemplation stages of change scores and initial severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. Similarly, rate of change in anxiety symptoms significantly predicted outcome on two of the three measures over and above the majority of pretreatment variables, except for hopelessness and initial severity of anxiety symptoms. Post hoc analyses revealed different predictors of outcome when trajectories of change and pretreatment variables were examined separately. Both rates of change and a number of pretreatment variables predicted outcome. Finally, pretreatment predictors of rate of early symptom change such as a contemplative orientation to change and therapist experience, were identified which may suggest that therapists should target these factors to potentially maximize rapid early symptom change, and in turn outcome. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications regarding methodological approaches to treatment outcome research and treatment planning for adults with comorbidities.
Committee in charge: Anne Simons, Chairperson, Psychology;
Philip Fisher, Member, Psychology;
Hyoun Kim, Member, Not from U of O;
Jane Mendle, Member, Psychology;
Jeff Todahl, Outside Member, Counseling; Psychology and Human Services
en_US
University of Oregon
University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011;
rights_reserved
Clinical psychology
Psychology
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Treatment outcomes
Depression, Mental
Understanding Patterns of Change: Predictors of Response Profiles for Clients Treated in a CBT Training Clinic
Predictors of Response Profiles for Clients Treated in a CBT Training Clinic
Thesis